The Effects Of Prenatal And Postpartum Maternal Distress On Children 's Development

A child develops through its whole life. They can develop; physically, linguistically, intellectually, socially and behaviourally. “Physical development is the way in which the body increases in skill and becomes more complex in its performance” [Meggitt, 2000, Page 2]. Twenty five days after conception; the body of the chid has developed immensely from the small fertilised egg. Up to birth the foetus mainly develops physically however once the child is born the child then begins the long process of development. Not only do the gross motor skills and the fine motor skills develop on the baby, but the sensory development also widens on the child.

Technological advances in the past decade have allowed scientists to study the brain in ways that have led to new understanding about how young children develop. There is a new understanding of both the capabilities and the vulnerabilities of infants and young children and that understanding is has influenced the work of caregivers and teachers. During pregnancy, the basic architecture of the brain is formed. Although, certain experiences do influence the developing brain during pregnancy, such as maternal health and stress, intake of drugs and/or alcohol, and quality of maternal nutrition.

My area of specialization is maternal postpartum depression and its effect on child development. It 's a well-documented fact that postpartum depression affects not only the patient but other family members including the children.

As previously mentioned, environmental factors, such as exposure to taratogens, can affect the development of the unborn child. Broderick and Blewitt (2105) define a teratogen as “substances or agents that can cross the placental barrier and produce fetal deformities when taken or absorbed by the mother during pregnancy” (p.619). These substances include drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, pollution, stress hormones, poor nutrition, and diseases, such as AIDS. Consumption of drugs and/or alcohol can lead to low birth weight, as well as, physical, cognitive, and behavioral abnormalities. Furthermore, more recent studies are showing that exposure to pollutants can affect an individual’s development. For example, a study of the

At the same time, the socioeconomic of the environment in which the mother is found has the potential to harm the future behavior and health of the child in utero. This is due to the fact that poor economic income and little to no education brings about extreme stress and anxiety, doing nothing more than stressing the environment in which the fetus is growing. Tearne says “Obstetric complications, like gestational hypertension, have been used to predict internalizing and externalizing childhood mental health problems” (3). However, it has been seen that the worst kind of problem to encounter during this critical period would be low birth weight and premature birth, as it increases being diagnosed with ADHD and autism. Of course, the timing of when these risk factors come into play have a large difference on the severity of the problem contracted. While still in utero, if the child is exposed to any of the maternal or obstetric risk factors, the development of the mental disorder they are impaired with will continue to increase in severity over the next fourteen years of the child’s life (Tearne 7). Thus, in order to decrease the possibilities of contracting any mental, emotional, or behavior disorder, the

Although there are many factors that affect the development of the fetus, research on the specific effects of prenatal maternal stress and the resulting negative outcomes for the development of the fetus will be reviewed. While there is knowledge of these harmful effects in scientific and medical communities, researchers are still in the midst of discovering the results of these negative effects on human development. An overall review of the literature suggests that this topic is still relatively new in research as most of the articles make note that despite the amount of current research studies, there are still many unanswered questions.

A mother’s socioeconomic status impacts all aspects of not only her life, but that of her child. Where she is situated on the social ladder will influence where she lives, her access to employment opportunities, and to support networks within a community, the availability of reliable private or public transport can greatly limit access as well. It may have also influenced the quality of education she herself received, and the education her child will go on to receive. Poor education, will impact the type of employment she is able to get, which may lead

Over the course of my research paper I will be examining the different aspects of postpartum depression and how it affects their child’s developmental stages. The research compiled will explain how maternal depression could do harm to a child and if the possible treatments available. I will explain the methods I will be using, information I found in my research, developmental theories, and my opinion on this subject. In the first section of my paper I will explain what methods I have used to gather my information next I will conclude my research findings this section will include definitions, the stages, how it affects developmental and treatments available, moving on with my paper I will explain how developmental theories

Ever since the dawn of time, pregnancy has been an important event in the life process of women. Some may argue that the maturation of the infant is solely their responsibility. However, the carrier’s habits can influence the baby’s development significantly. Some may leave the baby unharmed, while others might cause pregnancy issues. To further elaborate this topic, the following lines will discuss the effects that teratogens may have on the baby and his life.

The class discussion and textbook reading highlight some very important topics, such as the many types of teratogens and how it could really impact the child. We also discussed how the temperament and how there are three type of infants that the child could possibly fall into. The attachment of the child towards its caregiver and theory of moral development was also part of the growing of the child and how they act towards their surrounding.

Definitely, the prenatal environment has a very strong influence on the fetus’s future development. Medics or other professionals usually tell us that when babies listen to classical music in their mother’s bellies they will be smarter. Some mothers also argue that if the baby’s father and mother talk or sing to her/him when they are in the belly they will recognize their voice when they are born. “The early days of prenatal life place the developing person on a path toward health and success-or not”(Berger 2014, pg. 70). Therefore, some prenatal environments can either make a baby’s life flourish or decline. One of the biggest examples of how the prenatal environment influences the fetus’s future development is drugs, diseases, or other deformities.

Women go through a major life transition during pregnancy and early motherhood that is physically and mentally demanding making women more susceptible to stress and anxiety (Henrichs, Schenk, Schmidt, Velders, Hofman, Jaddoe, Verhulst, & Tiemeier, 2009). I have had personal experiences observing anxious young mothers interact with their infants and children. I have seen these children eventually display developmental delays, poor eating and sleeping behaviors, and even their own anxieties. I am unsure about whether this maternal anxiety accounts for these problems. How do anxious mothers impact infant development?

During the last trimester of the mother pregnancy and the during the babies early life, the mother becomes completely aloof of her needs, and is completely focused on her baby needs. The mother adheres

The idea that maternal psychological distress has deleterious effects on the fetus is very focused on today. Both human and animal models can tell us a range of things. Human models are helpful at providing longitudinal data, which can help with long-term intervening methods. There are a large amount of reviews that indicate women who express greater distress during pregnancy give birth to babies earlier, that are lighter than normal and have a higher tendency to develop mental and physical problems later in life, than those who do not experience as much stress (DiPietro, 2004). Wadhwa, Sandman, Porto, Dunkel-Schetter and Garite (1993) conducted a study where they

“As infants grows older, they form close and enduring emotional attachments with the important people in their lives”. Reference 1. This essay will discuss the developmental period of infancy. Infancy is categorised as the development stage of a human from birth to 2 years of age. Infancy is a time in the human life that involves rapid growth and extraordinary changes in the first two years of life. Infants not only grow dramatically physically, their brains develop, and there is the start of locomotor skill development as well as the start of reflexes and sensory growth. The essay will also discuss anxiety and the role it plays with infants in regards to physical, cognitive and psychosocial stages an infant experiences. This essay will argue that the attachment of an infant to its mother is highly important. It will discuss the different way in which attachment affects an infant. This essay will discuss typical development milsetones in the first year years of human life. It will then go to analysis the relationship between infants being in day care or at home with their mother. T The typical physical development of a babys starts at borth. When a Baby is born on average it will weigh 3.4 kilograms and measure to be around 51 centimeters. A baby is typically 25 percent of its final adult weight when it is born but by its